What was this “disgusting thing,” and how did it stand in a “holy place”? In reaction to the Jews’ revolt in October 66 C.E., the Roman general Gallus came down from Syria during the Jewish Festival of Booths and surrounded Jerusalem with “encamped armies.” After a fight, he brought his troops into the city of Jerusalem, in fact, he went so far as to undermine a section of the temple wall. This certainly was an attack on that which the Jews considered holy.